How to Choose the Right Laptop for Graphic Design

Jul 13, 2023

If you are a graphic designer, you probably already understand how challenging it can be to choose a laptop that will comfortably handle all the work you throw at it. And it can be even more challenging finding one that is thin and light and looks great while meeting your performance requirements.

There are many laptops available on the market at any given time, at various price points and with varying specs and features. So, what is the right combination? Here is a list of 10 things you should pay attention to while choosing your next device, along with recommendations.

As someone who works with visual arts, the display on a laptop is something you should pay a lot of attention to.

The first thing to consider is the size and aspect ratio. Displays that are 15 or 16 inches usually prove to be the sweet spot between portability and adequate working space. A display with a 16:10 ratio could be a good idea, as it gives you more vertical space.

A very important aspect of a display for graphic design is color accuracy. For digital art, pay attention to RGB color gamut coverage. 100% sRGB coverage is great; 100% DCI-P3 is even better. You'll also want a display with as little color variance as possible, measured as Delta E. You should try to keep that number below 2. If the display is validated by Pantone®, that’s also a massive plus.

Finally, pay attention to the display technology used. OLED is emerging as a superior choice for creatives. It's not only more color accurate and has deeper blacks than its LCD counterparts, but it's also brighter (aim for no less than 400 nits) and can help battle eye strain by cutting up to 70% of blue light emissions. Opt for the glossy variant (more commonly used in OLED) over matte for superior color vibrancy and accuracy.

The CPU, also known as the processor, will determine how well your laptop will be able to process tasks. For graphic design, you don’t need the top-of-the-line, but a quite powerful CPU will benefit you greatly.

Pay attention to the number of cores, as it will determine how many instructions your CPU can handle simultaneously. Aim for no fewer than eight cores. If the CPU has multithreading capability, that's also a massive plus. Aim for no fewer than 12 threads.

Clock speed is another important spec. It determines how fast the CPU can handle the tasks you throw at it. Aim for at least 4.0 GHz clock speed in Boost mode.

The two main CPU manufacturers — Intel® and AMD —tier their products by assigning a number to each model. For best performance, aim for the latest-generation (currently 13th Gen for Intel, 7000 series for AMD) CPU. Opt for Intel Core™ i5 or AMD Ryzen™ 5 if you're on a budget, and Intel® Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 if you have more money to spend.

H-series or HX-series for Intel and HX for AMD indicate high-performance, so if you notice a CPU model name ending with these letters, that’s a great choice.

The GPU is a very important component for those working with graphics. Also known as the graphics card, this component handles the visual processes you task your laptop with. For a graphic designer, this may determine how smoothly you can move elements of your vector art in a creative app like Adobe® Illustrator.

Opt for a discrete GPU (separate from the CPU). As opposed to integrated variants, discrete GPUs feature VRAM (aka, Video Random Access Memory), which is very important for graphics-heavy tasks.

Aim for laptops with discrete graphics with at least 4 GB of memory. Most creators opt for NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ laptop GPUs. For graphic design, the latest-generation NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4050 should be alright, but if you can NVIDIA GeForce RTX™ 4060.

RAM stands for Random Access Memory. This spec determines how many files you can store and access immediately, or, in other words, how many apps your laptop can handle at once without freezing.

Adobe®, the company behind the world’s leading design app — Adobe Illustrator — recommends 16 GB of RAM to operate the software smoothly. That amount of RAM should provide you with enough memory to have a couple of apps open at the same time without your laptop freezing or crashing. It’s also great if the laptop has available SO-DIMM slots to allow users to add on more memory if needed, without swapping the device for a whole new one.

A laptop’s drive is where your files are stored. Because design files can be pretty large, you should have a laptop with enough storage space that you don’t need to rely on an external hard drive. Aim for an SSD with at least 1TB of space to ensure convenient usage. And similarly as with RAM, it’s a big plus if the device has available slots that would make the storage upgradeable.

Your work habits may influence which form factor is best for you. Traditional clamshell laptops work well for most designers, since many of them usually use a mouse and keyboard while working.

If you prefer to use a stylus, a convertible laptop with a 360° hinge can be a great choice, as you can lay the device flat and use it like a tablet. An alternative could be a laptop with a detachable keyboard.

It might be a good idea to consider a thin and light laptop due to its portability. If you commute with your laptop frequently or work on the go a lot, you will appreciate one that weighs no more than 2 kg.

Another important aspect of a laptop is its durability. Some laptops are tested to the strictest US military standards. Getting one that has been torture-tested can be a good idea, to ensure it serves you for longer, especially if you carry it around frequently.

Graphic designers, like many other content creators, often need to connect a lot of peripherals and accessories. These can include an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, pen tablet, hard drive, headphones, memory cards, and others. Ensuring sufficient connectivity is paramount for convenience of use.

Your laptop should have two Thunderbolt™ 4 ports with power delivery and display support. This is the latest connectivity method that proves superior to many other options. However, as many accessories and peripherals still use other connections, it's good to have at least two USB Type-A ports, an HDMI port, and an audio jack. It’s a massive plus if your laptop also has an SD card slot.

For wireless connectivity, look for the newest, fastest technologies. WiFi 6E will ensure fast downloads and uploads. Also, look for Bluetooth® 5 to ensure seamless wireless connections with other devices and accessories.

Like many other graphic designers, you probably work on the go quite a bit. That doesn't mean you need to compromise on the convenience and comfort of using your laptop.

To ensure great comfort of usage without peripherals, look for a laptop that has a full-sized keyboard with dished caps and plenty of key travel, as well as a large, accurate touchpad.

Many clamshell creator laptops accommodate graphic designers' needs by featuring a touchscreen or supporting stylus input on the touchpad for optimal creative input.

Some laptops go a step further and provide creator-specific input devices that help streamline workflows, making working in creative apps a breeze. One such feature is the ASUS Dial and DialPad. The former is a physical dial and the latter is a virtual rotary input feature that can help you quickly and intuitively adjust many settings, such as brush size, opacity, or zoom.

Another aspect of a laptop build that can help ensure a good ownership experience over the long term is the modular design. Modular laptops allow you to swap out a single component when needed, as opposed to having to buy a whole new device.